An effective IoT solution can transform how manufacturers go to market, but moving beyond “pilot mode” to gain the full benefits of IoT can be challenging. Lexmark, which had accomplished its own digital transformation with an IoT solution based on Microsoft Azure, realized that other connected-device manufacturers would benefit from the same technology. As a result, it developed Lexmark’s Connected Products solution to provide a fast path to business outcomes.
Turn device data into actionable insight
Connected products range from medical devices to mining gear, and embedded sensors can collect vast amounts of product performance data during testing and operation. However, turning that data into transformative actionable insight is a challenge few organizations have overcome.
Having built a robust Internet of Things (IoT) solution on Microsoft Azureopens in a new tab for its own products, Lexmark had firsthand experience analyzing and acting on data from its more than 1.2 million connected devices around the world. The company began exploring ways to help other manufacturers use IoT technology to transform their own businesses.
See results in weeks instead of months
Lexmark, an early adopter of IoT, has delivered predictive services to its customers for two decades. In 2019, the company modernized its internal systems, moving from premises-based technology to a cloud-based solution built using Azure services, which provided better system performance, simplified maintenance and world-class security.
In its own digital transformation, Lexmark focused on identifying its business needs then creating solutions to support them. “We’re a fellow manufacturer with more than 20 years of experience in smart, connected products.” says Demetrios Karathanasis, Global Portfolio Director for Lexmark IoT Solutions. “We baked in the lessons learned from our own IoT journey, which uniquely positions us to help our customers achieve rapid results in theirs.”
The Lexmark team understands that no two digital transformations are alike and that individual manufacturers have unique needs. So the team developed prebuilt AI and machine learning models with Azure AIopens in a new tab, business process templates and dashboards that customers can select and easily tailor, avoiding the significant learning curve that comes with starting from scratch.
Reduce component waste by up to 90 percent
The Lexmark IoT Solution for Connected Products offers customers the same predictive services, asset optimization and systemic innovation that Lexmark used to increase its own profits by 25 percent and improve engineering efficiency by 30 percent in about two years. Some customers have deployed the system in months instead of years using the accelerator suite and consulting services to quickly realize significant savings.
DEXIS, a leading diagnostic imaging solutions company, jumpstarted its business transformation with the Connected Products solution across service delivery, sales, engineering and product management in just 90 days. The solution enables remote diagnosis and resolution of device issues, which will allow them to reduce the need for onsite service by 30 percent, support call time by 30 percent and device downtime by up to 50 percent. Overall, the solution will deliver a six times ROI.
Another Lexmark customer manufactures industrial air handling units and uses Lexmark’s Optra Edge to locally manage climate based on sensor data and environmental conditions such as wind, temperature, humidity and occupancy. Combined with Lexmark’s Optra IoT Platform, the solution collects and analyzes data over time in the cloud to provide insights on climate control and cost optimization. The result is an industrial climate-control solution that improves productivity and limits CO2 emissions with much lower acquisition and operating costs than traditional HVAC systems.